FalseHistory.ie is a website created by historian and author Eugene Jordan. Its mission is to e
xpose poor-quality historical narratives and outright falsehoods that are often presented as truth. These distortions not only mislead the public but also contribute to vilification and discrimination, rooted in a long-standing tradition of Irish self-doubt and intellectual begrudgery.
The Crisis in Irish Academic History
Irish academic history is in a state of crisis. Critical thinking has all but vanished from many university departments, allowing pseudo-history to be taught as fact. This decline in standards spans across disciplines and has become so severe that some multinational companies have blacklisted Irish third-level institutions when hiring graduates.
The erosion of educational quality has led to some of the most absurd historical scandals in modern times.
A Nation Misled
Ireland holds a unique place in global history—being the only country to apologise to its WWII deserters. Yet today, its political leaders promote a narrative that paints Ireland’s past as a misogynistic dystopia, where women committed atrocities against other women and children. These claims suggest that Irish women were uniquely malevolent, unlike their counterparts in other nations across two millennia.
These allegations are demonstrably false, yet they persist—fuelled by sensationalist media and a broken academic system that fails to challenge them. In most societies, university historians act as gatekeepers of truth. In Ireland, however, the lack of oversight and quality control has allowed substandard work to gain credibility and influence public discourse.
The Post-Truth Era
We now live in a post-truth era, where facts are often dismissed in favour of personal beliefs and emotional appeals. Irish journalism has not escaped this trend. Integrity has been replaced by sensationalism, even in formerly reputable publications. The race to the bottom is driven not only by economic pressures but also by a lack of preparedness among journalists and politicians to counter fake news and pseudo-history.
How Ireland Dumbed Down
On March 6, 2012, The Irish Times published an article titled “How Ireland Dumbed Down”, revealing that executives from Google, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard had met with Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe to express concern over declining educational standards. They demanded urgent reform.
Universities and Institutes of Technology responded by inflating grades to create the illusion of excellence. This grade inflation had been flagged for over a decade. Intel’s former CEO Craig Barrett bluntly stated that Ireland’s education system was merely average—and average was no longer good enough.
Despite public claims of improved teaching and standards, the reality was a self-serving cycle: higher grades justified higher salaries, while oversight was effectively devolved to bodies dominated by university insiders. The Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) and the Higher Education Training and Awards Council (Hetac) were compromised by the very institutions they were meant to regulate.
The article concluded that the minister was on ‘a personal mission to modify the system, protect the economy and, in the process, leave a lasting legacy. But the task of turning around Irish education, with its high level of self-regard, its culture of secrecy and its evaluation deficit, is formidable.’ So formidable was the challenge that the government had made no progress on it thirteen years later.
About Eugene Jordan
Eugene Jordan is a specialist in historical medicine and science. He holds honours degrees in science, psychology, and history, as well as a master’s in information technology. His social media platforms on Irish history have attracted over 240,000 followers.
He has published extensively, including a notable article on the Tuam Mother and Baby Homes scandal for the Federation of Local History Societies in 2018. Eugene is Vice-Chair of Moycullen Heritage, past president of the Galway Archaeological and Historical Society, and former chair of Galway Civic Trust. He also leads an annual heritage tours to the continent and Ireland. He continues to deliver public lectures on topics ranging from the science of Formula One to the Saints and Scholars of medieval Ireland.
